family ties
by Scarlett Elizabeth Sterling
Summary: Scarlett is the only real family of Frisk. She risks her life to save her niece and ends up trapped with them in the underground in an anomaly of a run. She unknowingly not only keeps Frisk on a true pacifist run, but also ends up saving the monsters from a fate of extinction because of discrimination by the humans. In doing so, what will she gain?
1. Chapter 1

Since the beginning of written history, there have been stories of terrible creatures that fought humans. Tales of beasts so powerful and ferocious that they could kill grown men and steal their souls. After the era of Christ, the stories began to fade into history and over time, they became nothing more than myths and legends. All around the world there are stories regarding these long forgotten creatures. Even though they hadn't been around for at least 2 millennia, if the stories were to be believed, people still feared their very name.

Of course, not everyone brushed the legendary beasts off as myth. Some believe that they had truly existed once upon a time. Those people were few and far between. Unfortunately these people were right, the stories that described them, however, had gotten them horrendously wrong.

Monsters. After having gone through the mountain beneath which they were trapped with her niece, she knew everything she had learnt about them in college had been a lie. These creatures. No, these people, were magical and powerful yes. But they were a peaceful, kind, and warm species that had been trapped underground about two thousand years ago by humans, solely because the humans had been afraid of them. During the war, they had demonstrated their abilities, and had been written into history as some sort of horrible demon. This was not the case.

Scarlett reflected on just how she came to her conclusion, thinking way back to when she rescued her niece from their step-father.

Scarlett told her brother-in-law that he needed to stop. Ever since her sister had passed away a couple years back, he had been getting worse and worse. He used to be a wonderful man, but after her sister got sick, he turned to drinking. At first it hadn't been noticeable, and Scarlett had brushed it off as grief, but it then began to escalate to the point where he would be blacking out at least once a week, and she would be getting called in to pick him up from various bars. She began to worry, as after five years he was still getting drunk nearly every night, no longer calling her for help. Instead he would get stupid drunk, and then get into vicious fights, and going home still riled up. Aggressive and easily angered, she began taking care of her young niece for longer and longer, trying to keep her away from him as much as possible, especially after she noticed the first bruise.

Now Scarlett wasn't the greatest at knowing what was expected of her, and she had a hard time reacting to situations normally, but when she first noticed the bruises on her young niece, she went straight to her brother-in-law, and gave him an intervention. She had given him 2 months. By that point, she had her niece nearly every day, trying her best to keep them out of harm's way, and to allow them to grow and develop like a healthy child, despite being selectively mute. Scarlett learned sign language, and taught them Morse code, and the two of them were as close as a parent and child should be. But that didn't stop the fact that her niece was still legally under their father's care, and so had to spend time around him.

It had been during one of those times that her niece had enough, and decided to run away. She texted Scarlett a message in Morse code to tell her she was leaving for the mountain in the middle of the night. Thankfully, ever since Scarlett's sister had first gotten pregnant, she kept her phone on at all times.

She heard her phone ring quietly beside her, rousing her from her sleep. Sleeping lightly had very few advantages, however this was one. She blearily looked at the message, and seeing that it was from her niece, she opened it. Frisk never texted her unless it was important. In her sleep addled mind, it took her a moment longer than normal to understand that she wasn't just looking at periods and dashes, but was seeing Morse code. She took a moment to decipher the message before throwing herself out of bed. Seeing that her niece was going to the mountain where it was rumoured people went missing, never to be found, she rushed around her room. She quickly got dressed in something fitting to climb a mountain, and packed a bag with a couple extra sets of clothes for both of them as well as a couple sweaters and extra pairs of socks each. She grabbed her shower bag, and some feminine hygiene supplies from the bathroom. She stuffed some snacks in there, and a couple of water bottles, and quickly grabbed her phone, portable charger, a flashlight and her first aid kit in case they got hurt, and left after putting some fire starters and lighters in her bag, and tugging on her shoes.

Scarlett hoped on her motorcycle, and drove as quickly as she could to where the trails up the mountain started, and she hoped that she would be able to reach her niece before anything happened to them. She barely gave a thought to her bike when she got there, pausing just long enough to put the kickstand down and pocket the keys before she started running up the trail. She kept her flashlight swinging around, and kept a sharp eye out for the troubled child. It took her a while before she noticed some recently disturbed plants and dirt, showing small shoeprints diverging from the main path. She followed them.

A short while later, she started to hear quiet sniffling, and she perked up, calling Frisk's name, even though Scarlett knew they were unlikely to answer.

"Aunty Scar?" She heard the soft voice, and began to run as quick as the dense brush would allow towards the voice. It was only a couple minutes later that she finally spotted the small child, curled up against a rock in a small outcropping. She stopped running, but only barely slowed down, scooping the child up in her arms, and hugging them close.

"Frisk! Oh thank god! When I got your text I was so worried! Are you ok? Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?" Scarlett couldn't stop babbling questions, looking the small child in her arms over, trying to see if she was harmed in any way. Other than a faint red mark on her forearm that was probably from her father, she didn't appear to have gotten hurt out here. She nuzzled the small child, lovingly, and she sighed, feeling a sense of relief wash over her so strong she nearly cried.

"He threw me." Scarlett hears her niece whisper, her voice sounding so small that even with her head so close to the child's face, she almost couldn't hear her.

"Sweetie. I know that I probably should have done more for you, but I am going to do my absolute best to make that up to you, starting first thing in the morning. After I take you home and we get some rest, tomorrow morning I am going to make your favourite, crepes with strawberries and Nutella and whipped cream, we'll have some bacon, and then I'm going to take you down to the police station, and we'll get to work getting your father the help that he desperately needs. And I'll do everything in my power to try and get legal custody over you, alright? That way you'll never have to deal with him again unless you want to, ok? But first, let us get off this mountain. It's starting to give me the heebie-jeebies." She says, still carrying her niece in her arms, with her backpack in theirs. She tries to turn back to where she thought she came out from, but too late realizes that she had no idea where they are. She walks a little way, and the ground seems to level off some, but seeing as she had a child cradled in her arms, she didn't get a chance to see the gaping hole in the ground in front of her until she was already tripping into it.

She twisted them around as they fell to cradle her niece against her chest a little tighter, and made it so she would land on her back, Frisk being cushioned from the fall. She didn't know how deep this hole went, or how long they fell, until finally the feeling of hitting the ground with an extra 100 pounds on her chest caused her breath to be knocked out of her, just as she fell unconscious from the fall.

Sometime later, Scarlett began to come around. The first thing she noticed was the distinct lack of a child on her chest, which would have caused her to panic if it hadn't been for how much pain she seemed to be in. She groaned, opening her eyes, and noticed that they had landed on a bed of pretty yellow flowers. She winced, moving her head to the side to try and get a better look at where they ended up, hoping to find some way out, and to see where Frisk went. She breathed out in relief to see Frisk curled up right beside her, clutching the backpack as though her life depended on it. She shifted, trying to sit up, only to find that with every movement, she felt as though she were being run over by a truck. Scarlett realized that this actually hurt worse than being in a car crash, as that had actually happened to her, and wasn't quite this bad. She supposed that in that case she ought to be glad that at least she was still alive, and could move everything at all.

Frisk wriggled in their sleep, and she sighed. She forced herself to move her arms to wake the sleeping child, despite how much everything hurt.

"Frisk. Wake up, hun." Scarlett says softly, gently poking the sleeping child in the side to tickle her. The kid begins to giggle, and wakes up, relief clear on their face that their aunt was ok. Well, maybe not ok, but still alive and breathing.

"Hey Frisky-business. I know that sleep sounds like a great idea, believe me, I do, but we need to get moving and find a way out of here." Scarlett says, and moves to get up, hiding the fact that the small movements alone were causing her to nearly pass back out from pain, and slowly getting to her feet. Scarlett looked up to see just how far they had fallen. Barely able to see the roof of the apparently ginormous cavern, She then wonders how the heck she's still alive. She mentally shrugs, and decides not to question it. She holds out her hand for Frisk to take, and her smart little niece leads them towards an archway lined with ornate, but crumbling pillars. She shivers, wondering how they got there but no humans had ever bothered to try and find them. Passing through the arch slowly because of how bad it hurt to move causing her to barely shuffle, Scarlett notices a single tiny flower in the middle of the room.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey the Flower! Are you new to the underground? Golly! You must be so confused! Too bad there isn't someone around to teach you how things work around here. Well, I guess little ol' me will have to do!" Feeling a tug at her chest, she watches as something misty and colourless floats out, only to solidify into a cartoon-looking heart. Instead of being a normal red heart however, Scarlett is surprised to see it's almost clear, slightly iridescent, with just a hint of silver, reflecting all the colours of the rainbow. Flowey looks at hers confused and intrigued, but quickly shakes it off.

"You see those little hearts? That's your SOUL! It's the very culmination of your being. It can get stronger with lots of LV! What's LV? Why it's LOVE of course! You get LOVE through EXP. Down here we share EXP through little white friendliness pellets! Here! I'll share some with you. Try to catch them all!" The small flower says, and launches some small, spinning white pellets towards the two of them. Frisk dodges them, but because Scarlett can't really move, she gets hit by the couple that had fanned her way. She feels like she just got punched again, and it takes everything in her to not pass out from the pain. She watches as her soul shimmers a bright red before settling back into its silvery, clear iridescence.

Flowey laughs maniacally at seeing her get hit. "YOU FOOLS! Down here it's KILL OR BE KILLED! Now DIE!" He laughs again when he has the two souls circled by the little white pellets, slowly closing them in. Scarlett closes her eyes and braces for the impact, only for it to never come. She looks up and sees Flowey get knocked away by a ball of fire, and when you turn to see where it came from, you are shocked to see a very tall anthropomorphic goat-lady wearing purple and gold robes.

"What a horrible creature torturing such poor, innocent youths. Hello! Do not be frightened, my children, for I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. I pass by here every day to see if any humans have fallen. I must say, you are the first humans to have come by in a very long time." She says, and Scarlett feels her fear beginning to ebb, allowing the pain to intensify, and losing her grip on her consciousness.

"Oh dear! You are very hurt! Here, I shall take you to my home." Scar feels herself being picked up by something soft and fluffy, very quickly succumbing to the pain. "Follow me, little one. There are puzzles everywhere, and they can sometimes be dangerous." And that's the last thing she's aware of before passing out.


	2. Chapter 2

Scarlett faded in and out of consciousness several times, unaware of the amount of time that was passing. When she finally started to truly come around, the first thing she noticed was the smell of baking wafting around her. Taking in a deep breath to catch more of the delightful aroma, she also noticed that she hurt a significant amount less than she remembered. She didn't want to open her eyes just yet, so instead she started to take stock of her injuries. She moved each part of her body slowly and on its own, and came to the conclusion that the only things that are injured are her abdomen, and the muscles surrounding her spine. She was extremely lucky, as a fall like that could have killed her. Scarlett then decided it was time to open her eyes.

She was in a small, soft bed and tucked in under some comfy blankets. Looking around there was a small dresser and wardrobe, a box of shoes of all sizes, a small desk, and what looked like a toy chest. It appeared to be a child's bedroom, which made her even more curious. She turned to look at the door and started to sit up when she heard it open.

"Frisk! You're alright! Oh thank goodness! Where are we?" Scarlett asked her young niece.

"Aunty, we're in the underground. We fell down a hole in the mountain." Frisk whispered, concerned.

"Sweetie, I haven't hurt my head, I remember that bit." Scar says with a smile. "I just meant this room is definitely not where I remember passing out. There had been a being? Toriel I think? Where has she brought us?" Scar asks again, this time being a little clearer.

Frisk switches over to sign language, not wanting to speak more than she has to.

"Miss Toriel has brought us to her home. She's been healing you which is why you don't seem to be in as much pain. Aunty, why were you trying to hide how badly you were hurt from me?" The kid's smart. Scar flinches in guilt, she hadn't wanted her beloved niece to worry about her, but here they are.

"I wanted to get us out of here. I needed to make sure you are safe, and that meant pushing aside my pain to make sure we got somewhere where we could be sure we were secure, I would do it. I didn't want you to worry about me, as I needed you to be aware of our surroundings, so I could focus on moving forward. I'm not going to sugar coat this now that I'm better, kiddo. That fall could have easily killed me, or you, or both of us. I think the only reason I'm not dead is because of that thick patch of flowers, and because I tucked my head up close to you." Scarlett tells them, with a very sombre look, conveying the severity of the issue.

"But here we are. I'm ok, you're ok, we're both ok, and we are both safe now. That's what really matters here. So come here, kid. Give me a hug. I promise you won't break me." She tugs her niece to her, and needing no more incentive than that, Frisk flings her arms around her aunt and holds her close. They hold each other tightly, tears slipping down their faces as they both let their worries float away. Once they get themselves back in control, Scarlett wipes away her niece's tears, and then her own, and gives her a watery smile.

"Do you know where this Toriel lady is? I need to thank her for taking care of us." Scar flings the blankets off her, and slowly stands up, allowing time for her head and body to adjust to the new position. She then takes Frisk's hand, and lets them lead the way to the caretaker.

She observes the cute little house where they had apparently been staying, noticing the little clusters of flowers and a strange plant that looks like a cross between a cattail and a hotdog on a stick? Strange little plant. She also notices the distinct lack of photos, and the abundance of books occupying the spaces available. Frisk leads her aunt past a set of stairs leading to what she assumes is the basement, and instead heads towards the living room. Sat in an oversized arm chair by a crackling warm fireplace is the anthropomorphic goat-lady. She's wearing purple and gold robes with a strange symbol on it that looked like a circle with wings floating above 3 staggered triangles.

"Hello, dears! I am so glad you are awake. You have been asleep for nearly 3 days! We had been worried about you." The lady says, standing up with a grace that surpasses even your royalty's elegance. She looks at Scarlett with unhidden concern and relief, leaving her feeling warm, welcome, and safe.

"Frisk, my child, would you please go grab your aunt's bag so I might check her wounds privately?" Toriel turns to ask Frisk gently, a motherly tone that made it nearly impossible to disobey. Frisk nods, and leaves the room, glancing at their aunt once more on their way out.

"Your niece has told me that your name is Scarlett, correct?" Scarlett nods, not quite over her shock at seeing a being this not human, and this elegant. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She had never been a judgmental person, fully accepting equality, even if she had to fight herself on occasion where her upbringing had conditioned her to think a certain way, but this was just too strange for her to accept immediately. She had chalked the strange occurrences up to her pain-addled brain's imagination, and seeing things that weren't there. That doesn't appear to be the case though. She takes a deep breath, and swallows shallowly.

"Sorry, yes. I prefer if friends call me Scar, though. If you wouldn't mind, that is." She says, kind of blankly, her state of shock shining through in her voice. Scar clears her throat, and mentally shakes her head to clear it before focusing back on the lady in front of her.

"Please forgive me, I appear to have lost my manners. I um. I have never encountered a situation such as this before. My mind seems to have drifted off in the wind. I had meant to thank you for helping my niece and I, even though you did not know us. Your hospitality has probably saved my life. For that you have my most sincere thanks, I shall forever be in your debt." She says, her shock manifesting in a less rude way than just staring in a change to her speech patterns. "Forgive me for asking, but you are not human. I am lost. I was unaware that there were sentient, intelligent creatures on earth aside from humans." Scarlett says, not entirely sure how to phrase it in a way that seems less condescending or rude.

"Worry not, my dear. I must admit that I am unsurprised that humans had forgotten about us. We monsters have been trapped down here for over 2 millennia now. What I must say before your niece returns however is of the utmost importance." Toriel goes quiet for a moment before the room seems to darken slightly, become a little colder.

"Should you harm any creature in the underground, I will not hesitate to kill you." Scar feels a shiver go down her spine at that statement. Even the thought of hurting a sentient being made her shudder. She may have slightly psychopathic tendencies, but she would never harm anyone.

"That isn't a problem, Miss Toriel. I have absolutely no intentions of causing harm in any way." Scar says, still feeling slightly chilled, but it soon disappears when Toriel smiles softly down at her. The room seems to brighten back up and warm up with the change of her expression, and you wonder what just happened. You smile tentatively back at the goat-lady, just as Frisk returns carrying your bag.

Frisk drops your bag by your feet before looking up at you with a small frown and begins signing at you.

"What the heck do you have in there? It weighs more than me!" She signs quickly and you chuckle, ruffling their hair, much to their dismay.

"I had to be prepared, so I packed for the worst." Scar pauses to rummage through your bag, holding up a set of their clothes, and they perk right back up. "I brought a couple sets of your clothes, a few of my own, some sweaters for the two of us, a heavy-duty first aid kit, some snacks, some water bottles, a water filter, a charger for my phone, and some other miscellaneous supplies we may have needed. I'm honestly kind of shocked at how well stocked I was, considering I did this in ten minutes after you texted me." Scar says, and pulls out a set of her own clothes, as well as her shower bag? When had she put that there? She turns to Toriel.

"Miss Toriel. Do you have a shower and toilet I might use to freshen up?" Scarlett asks the motherly goat lady, who then leads the way to a nice bathroom. She locks the door behind her, and strips out of her now slightly filthy clothes, and after doing her business takes a nice hot shower. She was slightly surprised she had thought that far ahead. Inside her shower bag (which was always packed for vacations and trips) was everything that she would need for day-to-day hygienic life. Shampoo & conditioner, deodorant, razors, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and even a small bottle of her favourite perfume. Scar decided against using the non-essential parts of her kit, and settled on just the soap, shampoo, razors, toothbrush and toothpaste.

After having gotten cleaned up Scar pulled on her chosen leggings and comfy t-shirt that had two skeletons hugging on the front that said "I was bonely without you". She also threw on her baggy sweater, wanting to be wrapped in comfort.

Once she was finished, and had dried and tamed her wild curls as best she could, she went back out to the living room. She passed Frisk her shampoo & conditioner, soap, and toothpaste, having their toothbrush in the bag as well, passed their toothbrush to them. Frisk took a quick shower and brushed their teeth, as was their routine when they were with Scarlett, and came out with a towel around their head.

Scar took the towel from around her niece's hair once they had gotten settled in front of her, and gently dried their hair. She playfully ruffled the towel over their face a couple times, eliciting a giggle from their niece. After she put the towel to the side, she grabbed her brush, and began to tell Frisk a story while pulling the brush through their tangled hair.

It didn't take long for Frisk to start getting tired. The soft tugging at their hair by their aunty Scar, coupled with her soothing voice tempting the child towards sleep. Frisk knew that was her aunt's plan, as that had been their ritual before falling underground, but she complied with the gentle demands. Frisk allowed themselves to drift into the peaceful land of dreams. Or at least peaceful while they could hear aunty Scar's heart beating strong inside her chest, and the soothing sounds of her voice surrounding her.

Once she felt the child's consciousness slip, she stopped brushing their hair, and scooped them up in her arms. She brought them to the room where she had been staying, finding the bed remade with a fresh set of sheets and blankets, for which she was grateful. She would have to remember to thank Toriel again for everything when she woke up the next day, but for now, she held the small child tight to her with one arm, and pulled the blankets back with the other. She set them gently on the far side of the bed, and slipped in beside her, knowing that if she didn't the nightmares of her father would soon follow. She pulled her niece close to her, and quickly followed them into the land of sleep.

The next day, Scarlett was woken by her niece carefully trying to get out of her grips. She smiled to herself, and pretended to still be asleep, clutching the child tighter, letting out a little pretend snore. She sneakily started to move her hands to the kid's sides, and while Frisk was distracted, she attacked them with tickles!

Frisk struggled against her aunt's hold, laughing and squealing delightedly. She when Scar felt her adorable niece had enough lifted their shirt over their belly, and blew on the soft skin there, getting the soft tinkle of their laughter at her antics. She then released the child from her clutches, and they darted a little ways away, still laughing, trying to catch their breath and clutching their sides.

"Aunty! That's no fair! I thought you were sleeping!" Frisk signs with a pout that's ruined by the giant grin on their face. Scar just laughs, teasing Frisk with a playful stare. She moves to grab them again, and they shriek, and dart out of the room to escape.

She gets up slower, and stretches with a slight groan, feeling her joints snap, crackle, pop. With that she sighs, feeling so much better today that it was nearly unbelievable. She then goes to the living room where Frisk and Toriel were sitting at the large dining table covered in food.

"Oh my goodness! This looks and smells amazing! Thank you so much Toriel, this means the world to me." Scar says, and she feels her eyes go slightly misty at all the kind and thoughtful things this lady who is practically a stranger has done for the two of them over the short while she's known them. A single tear actually rolls down her cheek when she sees how genuinely happy her niece looks at that moment, chowing down on the extravagant breakfast.

"I don't know what I'll ever be able to do to repay you for your kindness, Toriel. You helped us when we needed it most, even though we were strangers, and of a different species no less! You are the most amazing person I think I have ever met." Scar says, feeling her eyes tearing up, and unable to properly express the depth and intensity of her gratitude. Toriel blushes at the compliment, unable to respond to the true, deep gratitude seeping from the woman before her.

"Oh, my child. There is no need to thank me, it has been my pleasure looking after your niece, and helping such a wonderful woman recover. I must admit that now that you are awake, I am thrilled to get to know the person who basically raised such a kind, polite, and charming child." Toriel responds, and then it is Scarlett's turn to blush heavily, both at the praise to herself, and at the praise directed at Frisk.

Frisk turns to her aunt mid bite and starts signing. "Scar has been more like a parent to me than my actual parents were. But now there's you Toriel, and because Scar already holds the title for Best Aunty Ever, would it be ok if I call you mom?" The small child looks up at Toriel hopefully, and Toriel blushes again, as does Scar at the praise, though she must admit she was glad she was still only "Aunty". She wasn't sure she was quite ready to hold the title of "mom", even if it wasn't actually accurate.

"If that would please you, then sure! You may call me mother!" Toriel beams at the child, and Frisk beams back. The house feels so bright and alive, Scar was at peace as she too tucked into the delicious breakfast, and began the adventure of getting to know the amazing lady who took them both in.

It had been a few days now since Scar woke up, and she had gotten to know the motherly goat-lady quite well. In fact, her original… Or well, not original as her actual original assessment had been made before falling unconscious with pain. But her almost original assessment of the woman's regal aura was indeed correct. She admitted while telling Scar the history of the underground that she had at one point been the queen, but when her children died, and her husband the king turned vengeful, she had renounced the title. Scar then told her all about their life, though it seemed awfully boring compared to hers. She told Toriel about her childhood on the surface, and about what she was like growing up. She told about how she has always loved space, and would have loved to study it if her inability to grasp math hadn't stopped her. So instead she turned to art, taking the beauty of space and turning it into something she can share with others. She told the stories she had behind each of her many tattoos, and in turn, explained not only her life, but the state of humanity and the earth on the surface.

It was nearly a week after originally waking up in Toriel's home that Frisk became antsy, and desperately wanted to know what lies beyond the door in the basement. It took a few tries, but eventually Frisk convinced Toriel to let them through, on the condition that they call regularly, and that Scar goes with them. Toriel gave an old phone to Frisk, and programmed her number into Scars, telling them both to call often, and to not hesitate to come back if anything happened.

After many heartfelt hugs later, and many promises that this wasn't "goodbye" just a "see you later, mum" Toriel finally let them go. Frisk was now sporting a backpack of their own, and Scar had given them their stuff she had packed, leaving enough room in both bags to take all the food Toriel had given them. Pulling her jacket tighter around her, and making sure Frisk's was done up properly, they set out down the long corridor to the rest of the underground.


	3. Chapter 3

Scarlett and Frisk were both immensely glad that Scarlett had thought ahead enough to grab them both some sweaters, as it became apparent as soon as they left the corridor that they were necessary. Scarlett took a moment after digging through her bag for her sweater to appreciate the fact that there was a species of trees down here that not only lived without sunlight, but apparently was thriving? Looking through the first couple layers of the forest, she didn't see an end to the thick maze of trunks. If she had happened across this place on her own, she would have taken the time to go explore, and perhaps take some samples. As it were however, she was here with her niece and she needed to make sure they were both safe, which meant simply following the cleared path and hoping for the best. Scar took Frisk's hand in her own and they both headed down the forested path. Scarlett was a curious person, and she kept holding Frisk back from just racing ahead to instead take mental notes on all the various and surprisingly varied flora. She didn't dawdle too much, but they simply meandered down the path, taking extra care not to step on the twig in the middle of the path. It was around that point that even the rather oblivious Scar felt like she was being watched.

Turning around sharply as soon as she heard the sound of the twig breaking, she saw footprints in the snow, and saw the branch they had delicately avoided had been snapped harshly, but there was nobody there. Feeling tense and feeling a spike of protectiveness, Scar tugged on her nieces hand and briskly led them to where she could see a strange bridge, turning her head to watch their backs every few steps.

Coming up to the rather sturdy looking bridge with… were those supposed to be bars? Scar inspected it briefly before hearing footsteps beginning to approach them. These footfalls were loud and intentional, so she turned back around, making sure to put herself in front of the child.

" . d o n ' ?"

Scar assessed the newcomer, and took in their lazy stance. Their hands were tucked in the pockets of their baggy blue hoodie, and they were wearing black track pants and fuzzy slippers. They currently had their hood up, hiding their face, so you maintained your protective stance at the threatening tone. That is until they lifted their face and their hood fell down to reveal a skeleton smiling lazily at you. At this you tensed, abandoning your position to take a small step back in shock, though you tried to hide it on your face.

"The name's Sans. Sans the skeleton." The skeleton introduces, holding one hand out to Scar for her to shake. She look at his hand, not blindly trusting that just because he introduced himself that he wouldn't hurt them. Not seeing any weapons, she takes his hand, only to hear a loud farting noise, and feel the vibrations of what she is well acquainted with because of Frisk, as a whoopee cushion. Scar and Frisk both laugh at this, and the skeleton's grin seems to widen a fraction, possibly pleased by the humans' reactions.

"heh, ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick. Classic." He says, as Scar and Frisk's laughs begin to die down to giggles.

"Ah, man! You had us terrified!" Scar says, brushing away a few stray tears from their laughter. She was relieved that it was true what Toriel had said about monsters not acting the same as humans, then. She had explained the whole "made of magic, love and compassion" thing when Scar had told her what probably would have happened to the two of them if they had the same thing happen to them on the surface. Scar was relieved.

"I'm Scarlett, but most people just call me Scar, and this little munchkin right here," she pauses to ruffle her niece's hair, much to their chagrin, "is my niece, Frisk. They don't talk much, doesn't mean they aren't a handful!" Scar then hides her words behind her hand jokingly. "And sassy as heck!" Frisk just giggles and swats at her aunt, and she laughs. The skeleton watches their little display with a soft look, they remind him of himself and Papyrus in their antics.

Sans keeps the two humans from his brother for a little while, before asking them if they would mind humouring him and doing his puzzles. Scar tells them that she'd love to, but admits that she's not very good at puzzles or stuff like that. Frisk tells her that they'll help her out, they love puzzles! And so they begin their quest to Snowdin. Scar and Frisk get stopped a few times on the way by various different monsters, but they just talk and joke, and help them out every time, gaining more friends in the process. Sans watches as Frisk follows her aunt around like Scar is their whole world, and even in the few times that they've come into encounters and he sees their eyes flicker red, it gets soft when they watch the colourful adult. Sans had never seen a soul like Scar's before. He thought that souls only came in 7 types, but she was breaking everything that he knew to be true. Her soul was like looking at a soap bubble crystalized into a heart shape, clear and open, with rainbows of colour reflected through it, and it mesmerised him, and nearly every other creature that got the chance to see it. She has a very high HP, ATK and DEF, but contrarily, she had very low stats.

Soon enough, the two girls got to Snowdin town. They had been walking a long time, and were absolutely exhausted by Papyrus' puzzles. So the first thing they did was find the inn and get a room. Scar took a shower, and did all the necessary shower things before letting Frisk have theirs. They both climbed in the bed afterwards, and Scar began their little ritual of brushing Frisk's hair while telling her a story she came up with, occasionally singing a part of it. Tonight's story was a fantasy story about a young maiden and her friend the dragon. About halfway through the last part of the story, Scar felt Frisk slump against them, fast asleep. She put away the brush, and turned off the lamp, before tucking them in, and curling up around them, letting sleep envelop her shortly after.

Scar was woken up the next day to a boisterous child jumping on her stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs with a loud "Oomph!" Frisk was up and rearing to go, having already showered and gotten dressed, even going so far as attempting to brush their hair. Scar groan at the energetic child, and playfully rolled on top of them, trapping them and pretending to fall back asleep. She was doing her best to hold back her laughter at the squirming child, trying to roll her off them. It wasn't until Frisk started to tickle her that she finally rolled off, giggling and tickling them back, which lead to a tickle fight. Scar is only 23, still has the energy of a teenager, but developing the maturity of an adult. She was only 13 when her niece had been born, her sister being 10 years older than herself. She was too young to be a parent, but she loved the child more than anything in this world. She couldn't keep the sappy smile off her face as the tickle war ended.

Scar got up and showered, washing her hair, face and body before stepping out. She dried off and pulled on her leather and lace leggings, and a red tank top underneath a sweater. Putting on her makeup, she brushed her teeth, and dried her hair as best she could with only a towel. Finished getting ready she left the bathroom, tugging on her socks and her pair of boots, before brushing Frisk's hair for them. They left as soon as she finished.

Walking around the small town, the first place they encountered other than the Inn and Shop beside it was a place called Grillby's. Feeling the rumble in her stomach, Scar suggested to her niece that perhaps a quick stop for lunch might be a good idea. Frisk wholeheartedly agreed based upon the fact they nodded enthusiastically before making a break for the entrance. Scar chuckled to herself and followed her niece. As soon as they entered the building, Scar felt the heat of the place replace the deep chill that seemed to permeate the entire area. Taking a look around, she soon discovered why.

Standing behind the bar and wiping down glasses was a humanoid flame wearing glasses, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a classy grey vest, dress pants, and dress shoes. All in all, a very smart looking flame. Based on the appearance of the flame, Scar guessed it was actually a monster, and became slightly concerned about the building catching fire because of all the combustible liquids surrounding them. Either way, Scar and Frisk headed over to the bar to order their food.

"Hello." Scar greets the flame monster. They nod their head at the two of them, and gesture to the chairs in front of him.

"Um, hi. Um, could we by chance get some food please, sir? I'm not sure what you have, but I we're open to trying new things." Scar says, looking at Frisk in confirmation. Frisk nods, but signs that if possible they would prefer a burger and fries. The bartender nods towards them, and Scar goes with that as well.

"Well, you two sure caught on fast. Usually nobody can understand Grillby that quickly." The bird in a gross, stained muscle shirt beside them said.

"Oh, um. My niece is mute, and before she started sign language, she was only able to communicate through gestures. After a while, it gets a bit easier." Scar says, blushing lightly at the compliment, and Frisk is wearing their adorable shit-eating grin. They should make it illegal for anyone to look so evil, and so adorable at the same time. When you hear the bell at the door chime, you turn around to see the mysterious skeleton that had helped you out yesterday walking in. A chorus of greetings are passed around until he starts heading towards the bar.

It takes Sans a couple minutes after entering the bar to begin to make his way over to his usual spot. But actually looking where he's going, he notices that his spot has been taken by the kid and her aunt. Huh, oh well. Maybe he'll just find a way to get the kid to go play poker with the dogs or something. He approaches the two of them, deep in a strange tapping contest that seemed to be taking all their concentration. Again, strange. Sans finally gets to his usual spot, and clears his non-existent throat to gain their attention. Scar had been mid giggle, and he can't help but wonder what had been making her laugh.

"Hiya Sans! Fancy meeting you here!" Scar greets Sans with a smile, finally noticing him beside them when he somehow clears his throat? Knowing by this point that there was no point to asking him questions, she just shook that thought off.

"hey Scar, hey kid. whatcha' doin' at Grillby's?" He asks, and as if on cue, Grillby returned from the back with two plates of burgers and fries, sliding them in front of the two humans. "ah. my question's answered then." Taking the bottle of ketchup that was slid towards them, he asks if they wanted any. Scar took some and put them beside her fries, and a bit on her burger, as did Frisk. When they were finished with it, Sans took the bottle from them, and winked, starting to drink it.

Scar watched as the skeleton took the ketchup, curious to see what he wanted it for, only for him to wink and drink it?! She couldn't help the disgusted look that came with the action, although Frisk was pretty much dying of laughter behind her. "What the flippity flying fuck are you doing? Who _drinks_ ketchup!? I'd rather drink tabasco sauce than that!" Scar exclaims, shocked, and slightly disturbed by the condiment going in his mouth, but then not showing up inside his throat. Sans just laughs at her reaction, finishing off the bottle.

"well, unfortunately there's no tabasco sauce here, otherwise I'd take you up on that offer." Sans replies once his laughter calmed a bit. "we've got some back at my place though if you'd like to swing by some time." He winks at her, chuckling when she looks startled.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say you're hitting on me." Scar says once she's schooled her expression back into her neutral mask, letting a smirk lift one corner of her lips when the skeleton looked startled at her statement. She then casually began to eat her food, having nearly forgotten it was there. Frisk giggles again, and behind her aunt's back, wiggles their eyebrows suggestively at Sans. Sans feels his face turning blue at the kid's antics, but quickly pushes the thoughts creeping into his head away. Thankfully he was hidden from her view, otherwise he was sure he'd be bright blue by now.

Scar finishes her burger, oblivious to their little interaction, and starts on her fries.

"Jeez, lady! you can sure pack it away fast." Sans says, noticing that her burger had disappeared in the minute that his and Frisk's exchange had happened.

"Yep, and this isn't even me trying." Scar replies, dipping another fry in the ketchup before popping it into her mouth with a smirk. She finishes her fries, and begins signing at her niece, letting her know that she was going to pay, and as soon as she was done, they should go back to exploring. Frisk responds by shovelling their food back as fast as they can, which apparently they learned from their aunt, because in less than five minutes, their plate was empty too. Scar finished paying, and stopped in the washroom quick to wash her hands. By the time she was back, her niece was done and ready to go. The skeleton was lazing at the bar, chatting with the people there. Apparently he wasn't joining them today. Probably for the best as she was trying hard to fight off a blush since her niece told her that they would be cute together. (Via morse code tapped on her leg, as she was busy wiggling her eyebrows at Sans. The cheeky little devil was a good matchmaker.)

Heading outside with their backpacks in tow, they walked through the town swinging their arms and playing games. While they explored they came across a little building that Scar assumed was supposed to be a library, but was spelled "Librarby". The two of them decided to head inside and warm up for a bit.

They chatted with the monsters inside, and decided to check out some of the books. Getting lost reading to her niece, Scar all but forgot about the passage of time. Well, she would have if it hadn't been for her bladder. By the time the two of them, left the "Librarby" it was already getting close to the end of the day. How they could tell without the sun to guide them, she wasn't sure. Either way, they decided to head back to Grillby's for some more food.

Once again entering the pub, they were greeted with a different set of faces, except Grillby, who was still behind the bar. They approached the flaming monster, and began chatting with them, also ordering some food, and this time getting something to drink as well. Scar told Frisk to stay put for a moment while she used the washroom while they waited.

While Scar was in the washroom, Sans came in, and sat down beside them.

"heya, kid. this aunt of yours must be somethin' pretty darned special to keep you from going all murder-child even while your eyes go red." He says in a whisper, making sure the kid hears him. "I'll do everything I can to make sure she stays safe, so long as you continue on this good run. if you kill even one monster though… I'll make sure she'll have a , got it?" He says, his eye-lights going out, the threat more than clear to the child, who nods vigorously. One eye brown, and the other red, nodding like crazy, not wanting anything bad to happen to the one person on earth that they both love with all their heart and soul.

Scar then comes out, and like a switch has been flipped, his eyes light back up, and his grin goes back to normal, as if nothing ever happened. Scar strolls back to her seat at the bar, and greets Sans with a grin.

"Heya skeleton. Wanna stay and eat with us? I'll pay." Scar offers, and the skeleton sits back down.

"hey, any time I can get free food I'm down." Sans replies, digging his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms on the bar instead. He notices Scar watching his hands and his grin becomes softer, friendlier. He puts his hands out in the open, and wiggles his fingers, tapping the table to a silent tune, pretending to fidget.

Scar watches as Sans moves his hands, intrigued by the way he stays together when there doesn't seem to be anything holding him together. Even more curious than just that is how he can even move. She notices that he looks eerily like a real human skeleton, aside from his skull. She supresses a shiver from running down her spine, knowing that he couldn't possibly have chosen his shape any more than she could have chosen her eye colour. Despite the strange resemblance to a corpse of her own species, Scarlett was more intrigued in figuring out how the skeleton monster was scientifically possible. Especially seeing as he eats and drinks (even if it's only ketchup) and breathes? She notices then that she's been staring, and they'd tried to get her attention a couple times.

Feeling a blush rise across her face, she mumbles an apology, and turns to her niece. Signing a quick conversation, Scar's blush gets darker when her niece tells her "just kiss the skeleton already!" She then pointedly ignores the little hellion, and quickly eats her burger and fries, scarfing it down as quickly as she can, finished in about 2 minutes. She then pays for all their food, and a glass of alcohol that he had recommended upon being asked. She waits while Frisk finishes their food slowly, almost purposefully trying to make her aunt stay as close to the skeleton as they can get them.

Scar was playing with her phone, curious about how it was working even underground. Sure, she couldn't call anybody outside, but she was able to call Toriel, and Napstablook. Napstablook even showed her a thing called the "Undernet" which was kind of like Facebook, but much more interesting, though it didn't have the articles that she liked. She was texting Napstablook when she saw a blue glow out of the corner of her eye, and looked up. Scar looked up to see Sans about to take a bite of his burger, one eye glowing blue and the other void of his usual light, and a tongue? How the heck does he have a tongue? What even is this fricken place!?

She stares for another second, watching his tongue flick out, and lick the burger slowly, before drawing nearly the entire thing into his mouth, letting his mouth close with an audible snap. She then looks at his face, and blushes when he gives an extremely over-exaggerated wink. Upset with being caught staring at the skeleton yet again in a single half hour, Scar resolutely stares down at her phone, not even looking up when she finishes the drink in her hand, and only briefly looking up when Grillby shows up and signals a refill. She then downs the drink in one go, feeling the liquor burn her throat on the way down. She tells Napstablook about how incredibly uncomfortable she was feeling at the moment, and asked if he could teach her how to just fade away.

It was then that she felt a tug at her sleeve, looking up to see Frisk was finally finished. She put 10 gold down on the bar, telling Grillby to keep the change, and dragging Frisk out of there, doing her best to ignore the look that the skeleton was shooting her.


End file.
